


Choices Chances Changes

by MonJoh



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Corporate drama, F/M, Family Drama, Modern Era, Not Canon Compliant, Not Reincarnation, Romance, Sexual Content, no magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-09
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-07 12:17:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8800498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonJoh/pseuds/MonJoh
Summary: Corporate executive Arthur Pendragon balances the demands of his wealthy parents with his own dreams. Gwen decides how long she is willing to wait. Merlin tries to do what is right despite his attraction to his boss's married sister. Morgana questions the choices she has made.





	1. Chapter 1

“The last item on the agenda is the compliance report. Merlin, anything to discuss?” The Executive Vice President of Operations, Arthur Pendragon, kept his tone politely patient but Merlin could see fatigue in his boss’s blue eyes.

The three Operations Directors seated around the polished board table with its inlaid company logo of a red dragon looked beseechingly at the Compliance and Ethics Officer. This meeting had stretched forty-five minutes late due to discussion on the upcoming board presentation and they all had duties waiting for them, piling higher the longer they were away from their offices.

“I’ve got nothing to bring up,” Merlin said.

Gwaine gave him a thumb’s-up and Lancelot sent him a relieved smile.

“Then I will let you busy gentlemen get back to your work,” Arthur said. His blond hair was stylishly cut if a trifle long and his tailored suit showcased his athletic build.

Gwaine and Lancelot flipped their tablets shut. They were both well-built, taller than Arthur but not as big as the lighter-haired man across the table. Percival laid his pen beside his notepad, stretched out his clasped hands, and cracked his knuckles. His suit jacket strained at the shoulders. Beside him, Merlin looked frail with his thin form and oversized ears.

“Sure you had nothing to bring to my attention?” Arthur asked the compliance officer after the three directors had filed out.

“Nothing new.” Merlin’s gaze fastened on the corridor beyond the glass wall.

He was unable to keep his gaze from following the Executive Vice President of Finance, her heels drumming against the flooring and her long, dark hair swept up and to the side today. She was wearing the dark green suit with a knee-length pencil skirt that outlined her hips and drew attention to her perfect long legs. Up close it probably made her beautiful eyes even more green.

A tall man with a too-charming smile on his tanned face followed her. The Head of Internal Audit wore a daring purple tie to set off  his standard black suit and white shirt. Neatly trimmed dark stubble precisely followed the line of his jaw and perfectly styled hair disguised a chin that was too narrow and a forehead that was too broad.

Merlin resisted the urge to smooth down his own unruly dark hair.

Arthur saw his sister and fellow executive stride past the meeting room with Accolon behind her. He sighed. “I know it’s technically against company policy for employees to be involved with each other.”

“Accolon reports directly to Morgana, and a personal relationship between the two of them leaves us open to complaints about favouritism,” Merlin said. “Not to mention the wrongful dismissal suit we’re in for if she fires Accolon like she did her last paramour.”

“I know, I know, but Morgana doesn’t report to me and our father is not going to discipline her. If there is any fallout he’ll deal with it when it happens.”

“Is this where I give the speech about how our Code of Business Ethics applies equally to all employees, even the Chief Executive Officer’s daughter?” And to the Head of Internal Audit, not that Merlin could entirely blame the man for falling under Morgana’s spell. He wondered whether he would have the strength of will to turn her down if ever she looked his way.

“It’s out of my hands. Besides, I know what a tough time Morgana and Urien are going through right now.”

“Don’t you think the fact that she is married makes her affair even more of an ethical issue?” Merlin said.

“You can’t make morality a policy, and anyway it’s your fault she’s married to that jerk.”

Merlin looked at Arthur in astonishment. “How is that my fault?”

“You’ve been staring at her with googly eyes since the day you joined this company five years ago. You should have asked her out before he did, like I told you.”

“What you told me was that I should stick to girls who were more on my level.”

Arthur grinned. “Did I say that?”

“Yes.”

The smile faded from Arthur’s face as he stared down the corridor where his dark-haired sister has disappeared. “She’s always been driven. Had to work twice as hard as I did before Father would acknowledge she was ready for an executive position. She joined the company three years before me but was promoted to VP at the same time.” He shook his head and turned back to his friend. “Seriously, though.” Arthur leaned forward to rest an elbow on the glossy table surface. “It has been two years since Freya died and you should be dating.”

“Brave words from an executive vice president who is too much of a prat to ask the Controller to marry him. You two have been dating for years to the exclusion of all the other beautiful women mooning over you.”

“I’m not a prat.” The blond man sat back and adjusted his tie.

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Gwen is going to give up on you and go out with Lancelot again if you don’t tell her you’re serious about your relationship with her. You know Lancelot has never gotten over their breakup.”

Arthur frowned. “You think she still likes him?”

“Who wouldn’t? Tall, dark, handsome, swarthy skin, that Latin accent.”

“Keep talking like that and people are going to think you have a crush on him.”

Merlin shrugged. “Better that than the rumours I have a crush on you.” He gave an exaggerated shudder.

Arthur’s face reddened. “You should tell Guinevere that she can’t date Lancelot because it’s against company policy.”

“She’s in Morgana’s department, not yours. Technically there is no policy against her seeing Lancelot, or you. Although, being that you are Uther’s choice for the next CEO, a case could be made that Gwen should not have a personal relationship with _you_.”

“Merlin, shut up.”

~

 

It had grown quiet outside his office so Merlin knew it must be after 5:00. It was quitting time for him, too, but no one was home waiting in his flat and besides, after hours was a good time to work without interruption. He sighed and picked up the next document from the pile on his desk when there was a knock on his open door.

“Gwen!” he said with pleased surprise. “You should be gone by now.”

“You should, too.”

She leaned against the doorframe. Her tight black curls framed her attractive dark-skinned face and a knee-length skirt showed off high-heeled red shoes that contrasted the dark blazer and skirt. The three-inch heels drew attention to a lovely pair of legs.

“Actually, shouldn’t you be on a date with one of your many hopeful admirers to make Arthur jealous?” Merlin said.

“I thought you could take me for a drink,” she said.

He raised his eyebrows. “Arthur isn’t likely to be jealous of you going for a drink with me.”

“Then you’re not trying hard enough. Now get up.” Gwen crooked a finger at him. “We finally released quarter end results and I am in need of a refreshing beverage.”

Merlin put the document back on the pile, logged out of his desk computer, grabbed his jacket, and packed his laptop.

“You’re not bringing work with you,” Gwen said.

He set the laptop bag down. She took his arm and led him to the elevator.

Downstairs in the restaurant lounge they both relaxed in a booth and waited for their drinks. Gwen shrugged out of her blazer with a heavy sigh.

“Tough day?” Merlin asked.

“Tough week,” she said. “Morgana’s been driving everyone harder than usual. Accolon must be giving her the cold shoulder again.” Gwen frowned. “She’s always been a tough boss. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve heard her compliment anyone in the department, but she is competent. I’ve never worked in an accounting department with higher standards. It’s just that when her current boy toy gives her trouble it gets tougher for everyone than it needs to be.”

“You admire her.”

Gwen sniffed. “I have great respect for her skill and dedication and frankly for anyone who can put up with Uther as a direct boss, but I wouldn’t want to _be_ her. She seems … lonely.”

Merlin’s brows shot up to the dark fringe of his hairline. “She’s never lacked for company. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her alone at a social event.” There was always at least one good-looking man at her elbow.

“Well, I know, but …” Gwen stared into her drink. “It’s not like we’ve ever been social or anything and I could be way off base. It’s only that for a little while when she got married she actually seemed pleasant and happy. Then she went back to being herself, except worse. Since the CEO is her father no one is going to say anything to her about being disrespectful to the staff.” Gwen rolled her eyes. “Just like there are no repercussions for the way she carries on affairs even with her own employees.”

“I know.”

 “Human Resources should deal with her like they would deal with anyone else who is bringing down morale in a department, but Morgause would never reprimand her sister.”

“Half-sister. Same father, different mothers.”

“Family should be banned from working together.”

“If that were true Arthur wouldn’t be here, either,” Merlin said.

Gwen looked down at her hands and idly picked up her phone. “Arthur’s different.”

“Mmhmm.”

She set down the phone and smiled self-consciously. “Well, he is and you know it.”

“Yes, I do.”

The waiter delivered their drinks and Merlin stirred his with the straw to watch the ice cubes spin.

“What about you, tough day?” Gwen asked.

“No.”

“What is it, then?”

Merlin gave her a wide-eyed look. “Nothing, why?”

Gwen moved her phone aside and folded her hands on the table top.

Merlin sighed. “Just a conversation I had with George earlier.”

“The new compliance analyst?” Gwen said. “He seems efficient.”

“He is that. Anyway, he came across some payments to a consultant in Argentina that may not have followed our purchasing policies.”

“Is that all you’re going to tell me?”

Merlin smiled at her perceptiveness. “That’s all there is to tell, right now, honestly. We can go back to gossiping about Arthur and Morgana and the whole Pendragon family tree.”

“Okay, why did you never tell Morgana how you felt about her?”

Merlin’s cheeks grew hot. “I didn’t … I don’t … there was nothing to tell.”

“If you say so.” Gwen sipped her drink. “But she should never have married Urien; they make each other miserable. And Freya was a sweet girl but you shouldn’t be alone after all this time.”

“Easy for you to say; you have Arthur, Lancelot, and Gwaine fighting each other for your attention.”

“No one is fighting, you dramatize things too much.” Gwen took a sip of her drink.

“Arthur loves you and he will get around to asking you to marry him.”

She stared at her glass. “He’s had plenty of opportunities.”

Merlin grinned. “It takes patience to deal with him, trust me, I know.”

~

 

One week later Merlin glanced at the clock in the bottom corner of his screen to see it was already after 3:00 p.m., the time he was supposed to join Gwaine and Lancelot in the lounge.

On cue, Gwaine stuck his head in Merlin’s office door, his tie already removed and the top buttons of his shirt undone at the collar. “Merlin, put that work away, it’s time for a cold brew.”

“I heard the board meeting yesterday went well?”

“Arthur got a nod from Uther for his work on the presentation, high praise in my books. Now we are ready to celebrate the end of two months of all-day meetings and late-night revisions.”

“Are Lancelot and Percival joining us?”

“I’m right here.” Lancelot came up behind Gwaine. “Percival begged off. He feels bad for neglecting his boyfriend these past weeks.”

Gwaine rolled his eyes. “Couples,” he said with disgust.

“Jealous because you can’t get a woman to stick around for a second date?” Lancelot said.

Gwaine flicked his long, dark hair over his shoulder with a toss of his head. “I don’t waste time on second dates when women are lining up outside my door. Merlin and I are confirmed bachelors. Right, Merlin?”

“I think Merlin would put aside this workaholic thing he’s had going if the right woman came along.” Lancelot winked at Merlin.

For a fleeting moment, Merlin imagined Morgana being the “right woman to come along” and felt his cheeks grow warm. From Lancelot’s sympathetic glance and Gwaine’s predatory grin he feared they had noticed the red tinge in his face.

“The finance department completed their own board presentation,” Gwaine said. “Wonder if Morgana will take a few of her staff for drinks at the lounge downstairs as well?”

Merlin was torn between hoping she would be there so he could see her and hoping she would not be there with Accolon by her side. He was saved from coming up with a reply by Lancelot ushering Gwaine out the door.

“Let’s go.”

Merlin grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair to follow the two of them. “Where’s Arthur?”

“He said he’d join us as soon as he was off the phone.”

They walked the block to the Senator hotel. The hostess gave Gwaine and Lancelot interested looks which Gwaine returned with a wide grin. There was no sign of anyone from the finance department. Merlin decided he was relieved.

By the time they were seated, the waitress was ready to take their drink orders. Merlin had once waited over twenty minutes for a server to arrive. Apparently between Gwaine’s long, wavy dark hair and wolfish smile and Lancelot’s clean-cut Latin looks, the service tonight would be prompt.

When Arthur joined them the waitress practically tripped in her hurry to take his order. She gave his blond, blue-eyed good looks a wide smile as she straightened the tight black skirt that barely covered her thighs.

“Another drink for each of my friends and bring us a round of shooters,” Arthur said.

“What would you like?”

“Whatever you recommend.” He winked. “I put myself in your expert hands.”

Her cheeks coloured, but she knew her business because the shooters she brought had a pleasant burn without any after-taste.

Merlin intended to stay for two drinks, maximum, but when he checked his phone it was past 7:00 p.m. He tried to recall how much he had drunk. The group had shared a plate of nachos and the lounge’s choose-any-three-appetizers platter, but snack food had barely slowed the effects of the alcohol.

“Put that away,” Gwaine said, looking at Merlin’s phone. “We’ve got all night.”

“The new Club Bar is open,” Arthur said. “Why don’t we check it out? It can’t be that busy on a Tuesday.”

Merlin tried to think of a reason to call a cab and head home, but his silent apartment did not provide a good excuse.

Arthur asked the waitress to bring them their tab and she reluctantly cashed them out.

The new restaurant/bar was only three more blocks. The streetlights were coming on and neon “open” signs lit up the restaurants and bars downtown.

Merlin tugged his jacket tighter although the cool breeze felt good on his warm face.

As Arthur had predicted, they had no trouble finding a spot to sit in the trendy new bar ahead of the evening rush. Merlin slowly sipped the drinks he ordered but every time Arthur called for a round of shooters Merlin found himself tipping up his shot glass with the others.

Gwaine left the group to sit with a buxom redhead and her two friends, one of whom was making eye contact with Lancelot.

A pretty blonde in jeggings that displayed shapely legs quickly took Gwaine’s seat, introduced herself to Arthur, and chatted animatedly with him.

Merlin leaned closer to Lancelot. “You should join them.” He indicated Gwaine and the three pretty girls. “You don’t have to keep me company.”

Lancelot raised one dark brow. “I think the good-looking brunette would be happier if you joined them.”

Merlin flushed. He thought the girl had given him an inquiring glance but it was more likely alcohol playing tricks with his mind. “She was probably looking at you.”

“You know, Merlin, Gwen had a crush on you when you first joined the company, but you never showed any interest.”

“What? No!” He shook his head but that made him dizzy. “We were just friends.”

“For someone who is an auditor, you miss the most obvious things.”

Merlin squinted at Lancelot but he was not sure what to make of his friend’s comment.

The blonde laughed loudly at something Arthur said, her face flushed. Then she leaned over and kissed him.

At the same moment, Gwen entered the restaurant with a friend and stopped in the doorway of the lounge. Gwen’s wide-eyed gaze fixed on Arthur, then she turned on her heel and marched back out. Her friend sent Arthur a disgusted look before she followed.

“Arthur.” Merlin leaned across the narrow table to tug his friend’s sleeve and point at the door, but his hand was unsteady and his voice sounded funny in his ears. He tried to remember the name of Gwen’s friend.

Arthur glanced toward the entrance at a group of new arrivals, then gave Merlin a puzzled look.

When Merlin opened his mouth, his stomach lurched unpleasantly. There was a buzzing in his ears and he had trouble focusing. “Elaine,” he said loudly, proud to have remembered the name of the woman with Gwen.

Both Lancelot and Arthur gave him odd looks.

“Sorry, I need to take my friend home,” Arthur said to the blonde girl.

“I can take care of him if you want to stay,” Lancelot said, glancing at the woman.

Merlin wondered if he heard a trace of censure in Lancelot’s usually calm voice and tried to focus on their faces but the room rotated slowly around him.

“No, I think it’s time to call a cab,” Arthur said.

He pulled out his phone and Merlin decided he could tell Arthur in the cab that Gwen had been there. Or he could tell him tomorrow, because Merlin did not feel well. In fact, he very much wanted to go home and lie down.

~

 

Merlin sat at his desk the next day massaging the back of his neck and trying to decide if eating would make his stomach feel better or worse. The doughnuts someone had brought to the lunch room made him queasy but maybe a toasted bagel would be a good idea.

“How are you feeling?”

Merlin winced at the loud greeting and looked up to see Arthur standing in his office doorway, grinning. He looked much too cheerful for someone who had drunk so much the previous night.

“Great,” Merlin answered. “Don’t you have a meeting to attend or a plane to catch?”

“Nope.” Arthur sat down in the chair in front of Merlin’s desk, rocked it back on two legs, and braced one knee against the desk. “Making time for my compliance officer.”

“Do you need to speak so loudly?”

Arthur grinned. “Brought you a doughnut.”

Merlin stared at the greasy, iced pastry. “No, thanks.”

“Well, I offered.”

Arthur took a big bite of the doughnut and Merlin looked away, his stomach rolling. His eyes fell on the 42-page report George had provided.

“Arthur, since you’re here taking up my time, how familiar are you with the efforts to sell to the new government buying group in Argentina?”

“Father’s marketing group is still negotiating, operations won’t be involved until we actually have a sales contract and need to plan our logistics. Why? Is there a compliance issue?”

“We found a few invoices for consulting services but no contracts to support the payments,” Merlin said.

“Did you ask the marketing directors?”

“No, not yet.”

“You should go and talk to them.” Arthur’s chair dropped back to the floor as he stood. “They almost always have doughnuts to share.”

Merlin gave his retreating back a disgusted look, then composed a message to the marketing vice president for Latin America. It was only after the message was sent that he remembered his intention to tell Arthur that Gwen had been in the bar the previous evening. Of course, by now she had likely talked to him herself.

~

 

Gwen decided she was going to have another cup of coffee. If the caffeine kept her awake this Friday evening, so be it. Once she finished her report she would have the rest of the weekend free, though that hardly mattered since she had no plans and had barely spoken with Arthur all week.

She headed for the lunch room, hoping there was coffee in the urn that was not too old to drink.

When she pushed open the lunch room door she found Lancelot filling his own cup.

“Working late?” she asked.

He started at the sound of her voice, then a warm smile curved his lips at the sight of her. “Yes. You too?”

Gwen reached into the cupboard for a clean mug, happy that not only was there coffee but it smelled fresh.

“I made another pot,” Lancelot said. “I decided if I have to burn the midnight oil on a Friday I deserved to have good coffee.”

She returned the smile. “I’m glad you did.”

He stepped aside with his full mug and she slipped hers under the spout.

“Did you ever finish that poem you were writing?” he asked.

She was surprised he remembered that. “No. I kept the paper on my counter for months, then it graduated to the top of the fridge, and now I don’t even know where I put my notes.”

“That’s too bad. I thought the first few lines were good.”

Gwen laughed self-consciously.

“Really. You should finish it,” Lancelot said.

She wondered if she could find the paper with her poem and notes. She leaned back against the counter and took a sip of coffee.

“What about you?” Gwen asked. “Any plans to get back together with that band?”

“Yes, actually,” Lancelot said. “We’ve held a few practice sessions and we’re going to play Wednesday.”

“Where? I’d love to hear your band; I never got a chance before.”

“Would you really like to come?”

“Absolutely,” Gwen said.

Lancelot sent her a curious look and Gwen wondered if he thought she was suggesting something more than a friend supporting a friend. Which she was not, even though he was one of the best-looking men she had ever dated and her coworkers considered her a fool for breaking up with him. Even her mother had been disappointed.

“We’re playing at Molly’s Place, a small pub on 8th Street.”

“I know where it is,” Gwen said. “Elaine and I were planning to go somewhere Wednesday night anyway since our Tuesday plans got cancelled.”

A picture of Arthur kissing that sleazy blonde in the club intruded. She tried to remember if Lancelot had been there with Arthur but all she could recall were two blond heads mashed together.

“It wasn’t anything, you know,” Lancelot said quietly.

She stared at him.

“Really, he was just talking to her and she made the move.”

Gwen had successfully gotten through three whole days without dwelling on that moment, at least not for long. To her horror she realized her eyes were misty. She stared into her coffee cup.

“Arthur left right after that to take Merlin home.” Lancelot tried a grin. “Who was about to throw up or pass out or both.”

She laughed; Merlin could never hold his liquor.

“It’s not just Tuesday,” she said, staring into her coffee cup. “Arthur and I have been going out for three years now and he has yet to mention the possibility of anything serious.”

“Well, he’s an idiot if he doesn’t do that and soon.”

Gwen looked up at the brown eyes in the handsome, olive-skinned face. The admiration she saw there from a man so many of her friends and coworkers lusted after was a boost to her ego. She was suddenly glad to be wearing her blue blouse with its scoop neckline, her hair swept to the side in a flattering style.

“Tell me more about your band.” Gwen pushed open the lunch room door and started down the hallway.

Lancelot fell into step beside her, talking about how the group had gotten back together. When they reached Gwen’s office, Lancelot leaned against the doorframe.

“I can’t wait to hear you play Wednesday night,” Gwen said.

“I can’t wait to read the rest of that poem.”

Gwen laughed. “It won’t be done by next week.”

Lancelot smiled. “I’ll be patient.”

He had a sexy smile. She did not plan it, she did not even think about it, she simply leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. The coffee cup in her hands bumped against the mug he was holding and they both pulled back.

“Gwen,” he said in a tight voice, “Arthur is a friend and I know how he feels about you even if he hasn’t put it into words.”

Guilt warmed her face at his distraught expression. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”

“Not too sorry, I hope,” he said with an attempt at a smile.

A tiny laugh escaped her.

At that moment, while they stood close to touching, her smiling up at him and him looking down warmly at her, Gwen heard someone loudly clear her throat. She jumped guiltily.

Her boss stood in the corridor, hands on her hips.

“Gwen, you are still here,” Morgana said with an expression of mocking contempt. “I assumed you had gone home or wherever you were going.” Her gaze switched to Lancelot and she raised an eyebrow.

“I should let you get back to work,” Lancelot said to Gwen. With a cold nod for Morgana, he turned his back on her and took one step down the corridor before he stopped in mid-stride.

Gwen saw Merlin and wondered how long he had been standing there. Lancelot nodded at him in greeting before he continued down the hall.

~

 

Merlin returned Lancelot’s greeting as he passed. Gwen sent Merlin a self-conscious half-smile before she disappeared into her office which he did his best to return but his mind was spinning.

Gwen had kissed Lancelot. It was hardly clandestine; they had been standing practically in the hallway. In fact it had seemed as innocent as the kiss Gwen had witnessed between Arthur and the woman in the bar. It was probably nothing and most certainly it was none of his business.

Merlin realized he was standing motionless in the corridor and Morgana was watching him with a smirk. He forced himself to walk casually down the hall toward the coffee room but as he passed Morgana her hand grasped his forearm.

“They make such a sweet couple,” she said, her head tilted to the side and her full red lips turned up in a smile that belied the malicious look in her eyes. “Much better than Gwen and my dear brother.”

“I think Arthur and Gwen are made for each other.” He did his best to ignore a tingly sensation where the heat of Morgana’s fingers burned through the thin material of his shirt sleeve. She was closer to him than she had ever been with her face lifted toward his.

Her green eyes narrowed and she withdrew her hand. “There is no such thing.”

With that, she brushed past him and entered Gwen’s office. As soon as Morgana was out of sight, Merlin sagged against the wall and scrubbed a hand across his face, trying to erase the image of Morgana’s red lips close up. He took several deep breaths before he straightened and continued on his way.

He returned to his office with his coffee but sat at his desk staring at the wall rather than working. He leaned his head on his hands and massaged his temples, then pushed aside his worries about his friends and opened the long, detailed report George had given him. It was 6:23 p.m. on Friday with the weekend stretching endlessly ahead. He had nothing better to do.


	2. Chapter 2

On Sunday evening when Arthur pulled into the long, curving driveway in front of his parents’ mansion, he saw a dark green Range Rover already parked. His parents had invited the Nemeths for this ‘family’ dinner which meant Mithian would be here. That explained why his mother had been so anxious for him to come and yet had ensured he would be unaccompanied. She rarely missed an opportunity to show Arthur potential marriage partners more suitable than Gwen. With a grimace, he parked his MG in front of the five-car garage.

For a moment, he leaned his forehead on the steering wheel. His father had frowned on his relationship with Gwen from the start, but his mother had been more welcoming. Ygraine sincerely tried to befriend her son’s girlfriend by shopping with her for clothes Gwen could not afford and trying to convince the younger woman not to work if she married Arthur. Gwen’s polite but firm resistance to remake her into a copy of the socialites his parents approved of had not endeared her to them. Arthur steeled himself for a long night.

He found everyone on the patio having before-dinner drinks. The patio faced west to capture the sunshine which lasted well into the evening at this time of year. The afternoon’s warmth lingered but a breeze kept the mosquitoes and flies at bay.

“Arthur.”

His mother stood and came forward to usher him into the group. At her nod, the butler mixed him a drink which he gratefully accepted as Ygraine drew him toward the guests seated on comfortable white chairs. Morgana sat with Mithian at the opposite side of the patio from her husband, Urien, who was intent on his mobile phone and did not return Arthur’s greeting.

“Arthur, you remember Rodor and Diane?” Ygraine said.

He nodded at the middle-aged couple who occupied the chairs beside his father. They both smiled and nodded in return.

Ygraine steered Arthur toward the bench the couple’s daughter was seated on. “And of course you know Mithian.”

The striking brunette broke off her conversation with Morgana to greet him.

He returned the salutation, then gave his mother a small smile as he leaned against a large planter rather than take the empty seat on the bench with Mithian.

Ygraine nodded politely at the three of them and returned to her chair beside Uther.

“Mithian and I were discussing the joys of marriage,” Morgana said with an exaggerated wink. “You’re just about the age I was when I married; the perfect age to tie the knot.”

Arthur glanced over at Urien who seemed far more interested in his phone than his wife or her family. “You would be well able to advise her on wedded bliss.”

Morgana narrowed her eyes at his jibe. Arthur wondered when they had slipped into needling each other incessantly. As children they spent a lot of time in each other’s company during most of which they got along well. When he first joined their father’s company, Morgana, more than Uther, had been his mentor.

Trips to her department brought him into frequent contact with Gwen. Morgana had noticed the growing attraction between him and Gwen and had seemed to resent it, though he was not certain why since she spoke highly of her subordinate’s job skills and work ethic. But his relationship with his sister had deteriorated and as her marriage broke down she became even more caustic.

Morgana tilted up her chin while her tone remained falsely cheerful. “You should discover wedded bliss for yourself. Too bad you and your girlfriend broke up.”

Arthur frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Oh,” Morgana said. “I assumed since Gwen was back with Lancelot you two must have broken up. Why, you look as shocked as I was. I’m sorry. If nothing else I expected Merlin would have told you after that incident on Friday.”

She did not sound sorry.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he said.

Mithian politely turned her head away and Arthur was suddenly conscious of the listening ears surrounding them. He caught his mother’s eye before she returned her attention to the conversation with Mithian’s parents.

With a glare for Morgana, Arthur turned to Mithian. She had a voice that was pleasant to listen to and maintained close ties with several people they had gone to school with.

By the time they all sat down to supper, Arthur realized how out of touch he had been with many of his school mates. Between work and socializing with Gwaine, Lancelot, Percival, and Merlin he neglected the young men he had grown up around, other sons of wealthy families, most of whom were married now to young women of their set like Mithian.

His mother seated the pretty brunette beside him for the meal. Despite the not-so-subtle matchmaking, Mithian was more pleasant company than Arthur’s sister and her husband who were trading barbed comments and cutting glares on the other side of the table.

Looking at Mithian, Arthur wondered why she had not yet married. She had an innate beauty that most of their contemporaries paid good money to acquire.

“What do you do when you’re not designing window displays for your father’s store?” Arthur asked.

She smiled as she glanced sideways at him. “I like to cook, actually.”

His eyebrow raised. “Why would you be embarrassed about that? I think it’s a great hobby.”

Cooking was the one thing that caused tension between him and Gwen, neither of them enjoyed preparing food, or at least neither of them wanted to cook after a long day at the office. Usually they went out to eat or ordered in.

“Do you like to cook?” Mithian asked.

“No,” Arthur said. “I like to eat.”

She had a lovely laugh.

When they had finished after-dinner drinks and Uther and Ygraine were saying farewell to their guests, Arthur realized how much he had enjoyed himself that evening.

He was sitting on his parents’ sofa, sipping a glass of water and waiting for the lingering effects of alcohol to wear off before he drove home, when his mother returned to the room and sat across from him. His gaze darted around the room but Morgana and Urien had left long ago with scowls on their faces from a fight they had had. His mother had cornered him alone.

“I hope you had a nice time,” Ygraine said.

“Yes, I did.” Arthur set down his glass. “I should get going.”

“Before you do,” Ygraine gestured him to sit when he made to get up, “I want to take this opportunity to have a talk. We rarely see you these days.”

Arthur swallowed a groan.

“You spend too much time with your co-workers and not enough with your family and friends.”

“My co-workers are my friends,” Arthur said. “And I work with my father and both my sisters.”

Ygraine waved a hand dismissively. “That’s fine but it’s not good to completely lose touch with everyone else.”

A trace of guilt poked him.

“You weren’t at either Bertrand’s or Ranulf’s weddings.”

“I didn’t know either of them was getting married.”

His mother shook her head. “That’s even worse. The three of you spent nearly all of your University years together.”

Arthur tried to remember when he had last seen his old friends. There had been no falling out, other people had simply become a bigger part of his life.

Uther returned to the room but rather than join his wife and son he quietly went to the bar and poured himself another drink.

“Arthur.” Ygraine leaned forward to ensure she captured his full attention. “It’s high time for you to be married and settled down with a wife who will support you in your career.”

“Like Mithian?”

His mother ignored the sarcasm. “Yes, like Mithian or Elena. A woman dedicated to you and not her own career.”

Arthur did not mistake the reference to Gwen.

“Your daughter has a career,” Arthur said.

Ygraine shook her head. “And you can see what a shambles her marriage is, but Morgana is not going to listen to me about anything.”

The problems between his sister and her husband were more complex than her career. “I don’t think –”

“Listen to your mother.”

Arthur’s gaze jumped to Uther who had apparently been following their conversation from where he stood.

“Vivienne insisted she could simultaneously be a designer, Morgause’s mother, and my wife,” Uther said. “But she could not, no one can. You have to make choices.”

“Thank you both for a lovely supper.” Arthur got to his feet. “I’ll see you soon.” He tried not to let them see how anxious he was to get out of their house, but the tires of his MG squealed as he dropped the clutch and pulled out of their driveway.

~

 

Merlin sent a quick message to Arthur to confirm that the executive vice president was free, then gathered up George’s report, the contracts marketing had provided, and a few sample consulting invoices. He took the elevator up to the executive floor.

Morgause was waiting to get onto the elevator when he stepped off. The stunning blonde with her elaborately styled hair, flawless makeup, and expensive suit gave him a brief nod which he returned as he moved out of her way. There was little resemblance between her and Morgana despite the fact that both of them were strikingly beautiful, so Merlin assumed that each took after her mother rather than Uther.

Arthur waved him in to his office and then turned back to his computer.

Merlin closed the door to shut out the hum of office conversations and took a seat at the small conference table in the corner. From the wide, rain-splattered window Merlin could glimpse the river between nestled buildings.

A gust of wind splashed raindrops against the glass. Water pooled on the flat rooftops and wiper blades snapped back and forth on vehicles below.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Arthur asked as he joined Merlin at the table.

“Yes, it’s about the consultants we hired last year to assist in the Latin America negotiations.”

When Merlin flipped open the file of documents he had brought, Arthur looked at them with a puzzled frown. Merlin launched into an explanation of what George had found and why it was a concern that large sums had been paid to consultants for poorly-specified services which put the company at risk of a charge of foreign bribery.

Arthur nodded a few times, but did not ask any questions until Merlin finished his account.

“Internal audit looked at the payments and all was good?” Arthur asked.

“Yes.”

“The only issue is that marketing took a few shortcuts on vetting these consultants and drawing up the agreements?”

“Yes,” Merlin said. “But –”

“My father and the marketing directors are familiar with our procedures on dealing with foreign officials, I am sure they covered all the bases even if they did not document every step.”

“They probably have.” Most likely it was a simple matter of executives neglecting to document their agreements; marketing personnel were impatient with rules they believed interfered with their ability to do business. Uther had a marketing background himself and he would have put making sales ahead of ensuring agreements were in writing or running background checks. Still, not following procedure set a bad precedent. Even if all was good this time, the risk remained of an employee taking advantage of lax controls to funnel money to the wrong pockets.

“Make note of the purchasing policy violations and put it in the quarterly summary. Is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?”

Merlin shook his head. Uther would not appreciate having the risks of bypassing corporate procedures pointed out to him even though it was his own company at risk, so unless Arthur thought it was important enough to discuss with the Chief Executive Officer the issue would go no further.

“Nothing happened on Friday?”

Arthur was staring at him with his brows drawn together.

Merlin sat back and sighed. “Did Morgana say something to you?”

“We had a little chat before our Sunday family meal,” Arthur said. “Were you planning on telling me that Guinevere and Lancelot were back together and that is why she has been avoiding me for a week?”

“I don’t know that they are together and you should be having this conversation with her.”

“You are supposed to be my friend.”

“I am, and I’m Gwen’s friend, and Lancelot’s so leave me out of it and ignore Morgana. Talk to Gwen.”

Arthur sat back and drummed his fingers on the tabletop.

“Talk to her,” Merlin said. He waited in silence until Arthur dropped his gaze and sighed.

“Maybe it’s for the best, anyway. Gwen and I have no future together.”

“I think you were made for each other.”

“My family does not agree with you.”

“Are you going to let your parents dictate who you fall in love with?”

“Of course not. But there is no sense leading Gwen on if we are not suited for marriage.”

“I agree. If you don’t want to pursue a serious relationship you should step aside and let her find someone who does.”

“She already has.”

“Whatever Morgana told you was exaggerated.”

“Maybe.”

“You should know, too, that Gwen saw that girl in the club kiss you.”

Arthur’s brows rose. “Ah.” Then he ran a hand through his hair. “Lancelot would make her happy and Gwen deserves that.”

Merlin searched his friend’s face but Arthur and Gwen were grownups and there was nothing he could say they did not already know. He gathered up his papers and stood.

Arthur glanced at the folder. “Merlin, don’t worry about those consultants. I’m sure everything is fine.” He stared at the raindrops on the window pane.

Merlin gave him a nod he did not see and stepped out of Arthur’s office. Morgana stood in the hall, arms crossed.

“What do you think of Miss Perfect cheating on my brother?”

Her voice had been cutting but not loud enough for Arthur to hear.

Merlin glanced over, relieved that Arthur’s assistant’s desk was empty and no one else had been in earshot. “Gwen is not perfect, nor was she cheating, not that it is any of my business or yours,” he said.

“Gwen can do no wrong, can she?” Morgana’s eyes narrowed. “Unlike me.” She turned and marched down the hall.

Merlin sighed. It had not been wise to snap at her the way he had; she was, after all, the CEO’s daughter. For some reason he over-reacted when he was in her presence. Normally he was good at reading people, but around Morgana he felt like a self-conscious teenager, uncertain whether he could trust his instincts.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers and returned to his office.

~

 

Elaine was waiting in the bar when Gwen rushed in.

“Sorry I’m late,” Gwen said. “I stopped to get something to eat and it took forever, then there was no parking anywhere close by. Thanks for saving us a table.”

She laid her purse on the round surface as she took a seat on the tall bar stool and looked around. The other booths and tables were all taken and few seats were available even on the bar stools lined up around the stage area. Most of the patrons, she noticed, were female.

“It’s not usually this busy on a Wednesday, is it?” Gwen asked.

Elaine nodded toward a poster on the wall. “I guess people got a look at the band that’s playing tonight and showed up to watch them.”

“You mean listen to them.”

“Nope, I mean watch.” Elaine’s eyes went back to the poster. “Who would have thought there were other men as good-looking as Lancelot? Besides your Arthur, I mean.”

Gwen looked at the colour picture announcing the entertainment for Wednesday; it was not a high-quality picture but it did showcase the four band members. She glanced back at her friend who winked in response.

Elaine’s hair was streaked purple this month which looked good with her dark eyebrows. Her blue dress was made of a material that glittered in the subdued lighting, the bodice tight and low-cut, and the skirt hugged her hips with a short slit on the side.

Gwen had just gotten her drink order when the band tuned up. She and Elaine were sitting off to the side, but Lancelot scanned the crowd and smiled when he spotted her. She waved.

“They’re not too bad,” Elaine said over the music during the group’s fifth song.

Gwen raised an eyebrow as she turned from the band to face her friend. “Does that mean you are listening as well as watching?”

“I can do both,” Elaine said.

When the group took a break, Lancelot and the other guitarist made their way to where Gwen and Elaine were sitting.

“This is Galahad,” Lancelot said.

Gwen returned Galahad’s polite greeting. Lancelot’s companion with the neatly trimmed mustache and beard outlining his lips reminded her of Gwaine although Galahad’s dark hair was much shorter.

“You remember Elaine?” Gwen said.

“Yes, I do.”

Elaine sat straighter when Lancelot smiled at her as his glance ran down the short length of the blue dress.

“You sounded really good,” she said.

In the little time that the two guitarists chatted with them, Gwen noticed several of the female patrons openly staring at the two handsome men. Most gave her and Elaine scathing looks. Elaine’s only reaction was to throw her shoulders back and toss her purple hair to the side, dividing her animated chatter between both men.

Later, after the band had finished their second set and packed up, Lancelot returned to Gwen and Elaine’s table. He offered polite responses to his admirers as he made his way through the crowd gathered around him.

“I’m glad you came,” he said when he reached their table.

“Thanks for inviting us,” Gwen said.

“Can we buy you a drink?” Elaine asked.

Lancelot glanced around but there were no unoccupied stools.

“You can have my seat. I should go.” Gwen picked up her purse as she stood and sent Lancelot a friendly smile. “It was nice to hear you play.”

“Thanks.” He returned the smile. “I hope I’ll get to hear the rest of that poem some time.”

She nodded and said goodbye to Elaine. As Gwen weaved her way through the crowd around the door, she looked back to see Lancelot and Elaine talking together, heads bent close and knees almost touching.

~

 

Merlin leaned against the doorframe of Arthur’s office, arms crossed, until finally his boss looked up and met his eyes.

“What are you doing here so late?” Arthur asked.

“Trying to impress the boss.”

“Try harder.”

Merlin chuckled and came in to sit down in the chair opposite his friend’s desk.

Arthur raised a brow. “You would impress me more if you were actually working.”

“It’s past quitting time,” Merlin said. “Everyone else has gone home.”

“Are you here to tell me to go home?”

“No, I’m here to tell you that Gwen is as miserable as you are and you should talk to her. Two weeks is long enough for the two of you to mope around making the rest of us crazy.”

Arthur frowned and drummed his fingers on the desktop. “If you have nothing better to do than monitor my love life I can find more work for you.”

“Well, there are questionable payments to consultants in certain countries I could investigate further.”

“I’ve read the quarterly summary.” Arthur stopped drumming his fingers. “Is Gwen really miserable?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “Ask her.”

“You’re right, Merlin, I need to talk to her.” Arthur got to his feet and moved around his desk to the door but he paused before he strode away down the corridor. “I’ll ask my father about those consultants.”

“Thanks, Arthur,” Merlin said.

When Merlin left Arthur’s office, his assistant’s chair was empty as were the other desks outside the offices on the quiet floor. There were only a half dozen executive offices along with the large boardroom, small meeting room, and reception area, all of which were dark. Uther was out of town all week and Morgause’s office was empty. There was a light on in Morgana’s office but Merlin did not see anyone in it when he passed by and turned the corner on his way to the elevators. He did, however, hear raised voices coming from the semi-dark meeting room.

Before Merlin could slip quietly past, Accolon slammed out of the room and stomped toward the elevator. Then a loud crash came from inside the meeting room followed by an exclamation of pain.

Merlin rushed into the room to see Morgana standing above the remnants of a smashed vase nursing a cut finger. She glared at him but her eyes were bright with moisture.

He went to the side table and collected a few paper napkins which he dipped in the water pitcher circled by glasses etched with the company logo. Briefly, he thought she was not going to take the makeshift bandage from him but she snatched the wet napkins and pressed them against her cut.

Still without speaking, he collected a small garbage can and knelt to carefully gather the biggest pieces of broken glass from the floor under the meeting room table.

“The cleaners can get that,” she said.

They could but it was hardly fair to leave them a mess of glass shards. He slid aside one of the chairs and continued to collect the pieces big enough to pick up by hand.

After a moment, Morgana bent down with the napkins wrapped tight around her right hand and picked up glass pieces with her left to throw in the garbage can.

Once they had cleaned up what they could, Merlin swept the smaller bits off the chair with his hand and then flinched. Chagrined, he saw a line of red well up along the edge of his palm.

When Morgana handed him back one of the napkins, he looked at her in surprise. “Thank you.”

She looked away. “I’ll leave a note for the cleaners so they know there are bits of glass here.”

They had done the best they could without a vacuum cleaner or a broom. He picked a last shard from one of the chairs, then brushed off his hands over the garbage can. He straightened to find himself face to face with Morgana.

“How is your finger?” he asked, glancing down at her hands.

She pulled the napkins away and examined the cut. “It’s stopped bleeding. What about yours?”

Before he could respond she took his right hand in hers and brushed a finger along the red mark.

“It’s fine,” he said, embarrassed at the squeaky tone, and cleared his throat.

She nodded and dropped his hand without looking at him.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, unwilling to leave her alone and upset but without any reason to stay. “Well,” he said.

She raised her eyes then to meet his gaze. “Thank you for your help, Merlin.”

“It’s okay.”

She had beautiful green eyes outlined by the longest, darkest lashes he had ever seen. She must have left her blazer in her office because she was wearing a sleeveless green lacy top which showed a fair amount of cleavage. Her hair was down today, long dark locks that curled at the ends above her breasts.

“I better go,” he said without moving.

“You don’t think much of me, do you, Merlin?” she asked. “You are more angry at me for what I told Arthur than at Gwen for kissing another man.”

“Gwen has a good heart.”

“It’s easy to be good and sweet when you have a loving family and a father who dotes on you.”

Merlin caught his breath; despite his years of friendship with Arthur he did not know a lot about their family although he could imagine Uther was anything but loving. When Arthur spoke of his father it was usually with respect but never with affection.

“Did you know,” Morgana said, “that my mother was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and my father never missed one day of work? Never cancelled a single business trip?”

“No.”

“Would your father have done that?” She stood stiffly, hands clenched at her sides.

“I don’t have a father,” Merlin said.

Morgana blinked. “That’s biologically impossible.”

The corners of Merlin’s mouth twitched. “I mean I don’t know anything about him.”

“Not even his name?”

He shook his head. “My mother raised me on her own.”

“I would still trade places with you. I would have preferred never to know Uther.”

“Don’t be too sure,” Merlin said quietly.

She stared down at her hands, her voice lowered. “My mother was already pregnant with me by Uther when she left her first husband. Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like – what I would have been like – if Gorlois had been my father instead.”

Merlin hid his shock; he didn’t want to offend her. Besides, she had not had any more control over her parentage than he had had.

“You can imagine the gossip when I was born so soon after they married, but since I have Uther’s dark hair and green eyes instead of resembling Gorlois …” She shrugged. “It’s a good thing I’m not blonde and blue-eyed like my mother.”

Merlin had met Ygraine at company Christmas parties and thought Morgana did resemble her mother even with dark hair and green eyes. “You’re as beautiful as she is.”

He had not intended to voice that thought and when her eyes fastened on his face he felt his cheeks grow warm.

She leaned toward him, searching his face with a puzzled frown. He would have stepped away from her scrutiny except that the table was beside him and he could feel a chair against the backs of his knees.

Morgana put one hand on the chair back, pinning him against the table. He had a good view of her breasts under the green lacy top despite the dimness of the room with only the perimeter track lights on, not the bright overhead.

The darkness reminded him there was no one else on the entire floor. He pulled his gaze up from her cleavage but got only as far as her lips. They were red and slightly parted and he was unable to stop himself from bending slightly, wondering when she would stop him from kissing her. Then he felt her lips on his and all coherent thought left him.

He felt her hands slide up his arms, across his shoulders, and into his hair as her tongue slid across his lips and into his mouth causing him to gasp. Her breasts pressed against his chest.

One of his hands moved to her hip, the other stroked her hair. His palm slid from her waist to her back and pressed her closer while his heart sped up to send blood coursing through his body.

She broke off the kiss and smiled at him. “We can find someplace more comfortable to continue this.” Her fingertips brushed across his face and down his chest before she turned and led the way to the door.

His hands dropped to his sides and he clenched them tightly.

“How close is your place? Or should we get a hotel room?” She paused in the doorway and saw he was standing immobile next to the table. She tipped her head to the side.

“No,” he said.

Her face hardened. “What?”

“You’re married.” And if her husband stepped aside Accolon would be waiting to step in. Regardless of how superficial those relationships might be, people were going to be hurt if he gave into temptation, not to mention the heartbreak he was in for by getting involved in such a complicated situation. Merlin deliberately slowed his breathing, willing his heart to slacken its rapid pounding.

“Right, I forgot that I’m not good enough for you,” Morgana said. “The compliance officer who never puts a foot wrong, how foolish of me to think you might unbend enough to screw your boss’s slutty sister.”

Embarrassment heated his face.

Morgana narrowed her gaze on him. “Maybe if I was Gwen? You’d break the rules for her, I bet.”

“Leave her out of this.” Merlin straightened where he stood, his jaw clenched.

“Fine,” Morgana said. “But remember my father owns this company and you are expendable.” She spun on her high heels and marched toward her office.

After her exit, Merlin slumped where he stood and grasped the back of a chair. If that was not the stupidest thing he had ever done, it had to be in the top two. Both kissing her and refusing her. Especially refusing her. The most gorgeous woman in the world had invited herself to his apartment and he turned her down.

Plus he had made his boss’s sister, the CEO’s daughter, very angry with him. She looked beautiful when she was angry, her green eyes even more green. And she had the silkiest long hair he had ever run his hands through. Unquestionably turning her down was the stupidest thing he had ever done. He was never going to breathe a single word of this to Arthur, or Gwaine, or anyone who would tell him repeatedly how much of an idiot he was. Even if he was fired.

Her threat was real. Uther resented being forced to have a compliance department which he saw as an unnecessary administrative burden that interfered with business. He would not closely examine any excuse she gave him to dismiss the compliance officer. Arthur might stand up for him, although Merlin had no wish to see Arthur at odds with his father.

Merlin resolved to stay out of Morgana’s way for a while until her anger at him cooled.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur was determined to speak with Guinevere.

The previous evening he had gone straight to her office after his talk with Merlin only to find she had left for the day. He had taken out his phone but it was a conversation he wanted to have in person and he hesitated to ask her to meet him when she might already have plans for the evening. Maybe she was out with Lancelot. Arthur’s courage had faltered and he had gone another day without talking to her.

Now there would be no excuses. He knocked on the open door as he stepped into her office. Her eyes widened when she looked at him and he realized that he rarely came to see her; normally she went to his office or more often they met outside of work.

Her hair was pulled back and piled on her head but a few ringlets brushed her cheeks. It felt like months since he had looked at her even though he knew their last date had been barely three weeks ago. Under her suit jacket she was wearing a red blouse that framed the tops of her breasts.

He quickly brought his eyes back up to her face. “Have dinner with me.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, really, but Elaine and I have plans tonight to see a movie.”

Disappointment squeezed his gut, then he determined not to give up so easily. “You have to eat, anyway, have dinner with me first.” He put on his brightest smile and was gratified to see an answering smile curve her lips.

“All right,” she said.

Relief, anticipation, and an unfamiliar nervousness chased themselves through his head. “Meet me in the restaurant downstairs at 5:30.”

“See you then,” she said, still smiling.

 

When Arthur arrived in the restaurant, Gwen was waiting at a table. She had taken off her suit jacket. The red scooped neckline of her top framed her neck which was bared by the upsweep of her tight, dark curls.

“Hi.” He sat down opposite her, trying not to stare too obviously.

“Hello.”

The waitress set a drink in front of Gwen and took his order. After the server left, the two of them made small talk until they had given the waitress their dinner selections and handed back their menus.

“Arthur, where is our relationship going?”

He looked up in surprise from the drink he had been about to pick up. “Going?”

“Your family has never been thrilled about you dating me.”

Arthur drew breath to speak but Gwen held up a hand to forestall him.

“You are an executive vice president and one day you will take over as CEO. In both those positions you need the support of a wife who will entertain guests in a perfect house, be an active member of the right charities and social clubs, and never breathe a complaint about her husband working late or being out of the country for days on end.”

His mind sorted through what she had said, compared it to the relationship his parents had, and saw a pattern. How long had these doubts been bothering her? Was this the real reason she had given Lancelot another chance, if she had?

“I chose you, Arthur, but you have to choose me.”

“Guinevere, there is no one else. That girl at the bar –”

Gwen shook her head. “I know, Arthur. But there’s your family, your career.”

“There is no guarantee the board will choose me to succeed my father when he retires.”

“They will. I enjoy my job, but financial reporting deadlines are tight and there are times when I’m not available to be an executive’s wife. Not that we have discussed marriage.” She clasped her hands and watched him closely. “But if we’re not heading toward a permanent relationship, then where are we going?”

At that moment the waitress delivered their food and Arthur thanked her, glad for the brief distraction. He adjusted his plate before he looked up at Gwen.

“I don’t know,” he admitted in answer to her question. “But I know I want to be with you.”

Her eyes softened and a smile twitched the corners of her lips. “Well, I guess for now that’s good enough.”

Her tender expression sent a warm feeling of relief rushing through him. “How long will it be good enough?”

“At least until we finish our dinner.” She gave him a wide smile before taking a bite of her food.

~

 

Uther’s office took up the entire southeast corner of the building’s top floor with an impressive view of the city skyline and glimpses of green riverbanks and the river which curled through downtown. The sun was bright today and the air conditioner fought hard against the heat pushing through the windows.

“Arthur, sit down.”

He rolled out a chair at the conference table in his father’s office. The table was made from the same mahogany as the one in the board room and was also inlaid with the red dragon logo.

Uther seated himself at the head of the table. He was taller than his son but not as broad-shouldered, and his dark hair had receded from his high forehead and begun to turn grey. “I tried to reach you last evening. Where were you?”

“I had a supper meeting.”

“Did you?” His father was watching him closely. “Something you needed to deal directly with the Controller about instead of speaking to Morgana?”

Well, privacy was not to be expected in the restaurant attached to his office building. “Guinevere and I needed to talk.”

Uther frowned. “You didn’t reply to my messages. I understand the attraction, but do not let it interfere with business. Are our plans on track?”

“We have excess capacity to fill the anticipated orders from the new buyers in Argentina and Brazil even at the upper end of the estimates marketing provided. Our supply chain can get the product there provided we get access to additional port facilities on the east coast.”

“Isn’t that done?”

“The deal is ready to be inked, I’m holding off until the sales orders are confirmed,” Arthur said.

Uther smiled. “The customers both gave us signed purchase orders this morning. I’ll forward them to you so you have the quantities and delivery dates.”

His father’s satisfaction underscored how much he had wanted to close those deals. The board had an expansion strategy and they would be pleased to know about the new Latin American customers.

“We’ll ramp up production.” Arthur hesitated, then went on. “Father, are you familiar with the consultants we used to finalize these sales?”

“Of course, I’ve worked closely with them since last year.”

“Did you know we never vetted them through our third-party investigation process?”

Uther sat back. “We can’t always put the real work of this company on hold to unwrap red tape.”

“Have we done our due diligence since? Our partner does a thorough check for reasonable cost so there is no risk of a consultant putting us offside with foreign corruption legislation.”

“Arthur, the chance of our company being investigated is slim to none, even if we needed to grease the wheels a little.”

Arthur’s heart sped up. “Did we need to grease the wheels?”

Uther leaned forward, both hands gripping the arms of his chair. “You did your stint in marketing, you know how business gets done in these places. Nothing happens unless the government official gets his cut, that’s the way it is.”

It was partially true, and one of the reasons Arthur had chosen operations for his career rather than marketing.

“If we hadn’t paid the price to get the business, our competitors would have,” Uther continued. “No one got hurt; the official is happy, we have sales, our board is pleased, and the farmers in Argentina and Brazil get decent equipment for a change that helps them grow food to feed people.”

Arthur nodded.

“Good. Now if our sales projections for the new markets materialize, we’ll need more production capacity in two years’ time instead of five. Where are we with the expansion?”

Setting aside his misgivings at what amounted to a confession of foreign bribery, Arthur summarized their build or buy assessment for another production facility.

~

 

Arthur swivelled in his chair when the Compliance and Ethics Officer entered his office.

“Merlin, thanks for coming so quickly.” Arthur waved at the chair in front of his desk.

“You said it was urgent.” The dark-haired man settled himself in the chair and propped one foot on the opposite knee. “I assumed you had girl trouble you needed my help with again.”

Arthur grimaced at the jibe. “Things are fine between me and Guinevere.”

“Because you took my advice and talked to her?”

“Never mind that.”

Merlin grinned and Arthur ignored him.

“I spoke with my father about those consulting fees you were so worried about.”

Merlin sobered and met his eyes steadily.

“He was directly involved with the consultants and assured me that business was done the way it should be done. Farmers in Argentina and Brazil will benefit from having our equipment.” Arthur was surprised he sounded so much like Uther.

Merlin silently regarded him and Arthur could not hold his gaze.

“I realize we neglected to do our standard due diligence on the consultants and I’ll make sure that does not happen again,” Arthur said. “I guess that makes two marks against us on the compliance slate: no proper agreements and no third-party vetting.”

“Arthur, if we hired agents to bribe government officials it is more serious than that.”

“My father never mentioned bribery, he knows our company does not permit that.”

“Exactly what services did the consultants provide then?”

Arthur tried to remember the words his father had used. “Business got done the way it always gets done and everyone was satisfied.”

The way Merlin was looking at him made Arthur’s stomach knot while he tried to emulate his father’s calm assurance.

“Who gets hurt?” Arthur asked. “The consultant made money, we will make money, and if a foreign government official got richer who really cares?”

“Corruption hurts a lot of people,” Merlin said. “When a government overpays for equipment or services so that officials can line their pockets, it’s the people of that country who suffer. Public money is diverted from needed projects that either don’t get done or are sloppily built like that daycare with a substandard ceiling and no fire alarm.”

“You dramatize things too much.” Arthur attempted a laugh.

“Maybe, but you have to talk to Leon about this,” Merlin said. “We need the advice of our legal counsel.”

Arthur put up a hand to massage the back of his neck. “I know.”

~

 

Merlin looked up at the knock on his office door. “Hi, Gwen.”

“Hi. Got a minute?”

“Sure.”

She stepped into his office and closed the door behind her. He raised his brows.

Gwen took the seat opposite his desk and looked at him curiously. “So what’s been going on these last two weeks that has the executives in such a flutter?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Please, Merlin. Arthur acts like he’s walking a tightrope but when I ask him why he bites his lip and says he’s not supposed to talk about it.” Gwen shot him a pleading look. “I’m worried about him.”

Merlin sighed and sat back, resting his elbows on the arms of his chair. “I’m not involved in the internal investigation Leon and Morgause are conducting. I can tell you I gave them all the information I had on payments to foreign consultants that may not have complied with our policies.”

“The new consultants in Argentina, Brazil, and India that Morgana had me pull the purchasing history on,” Gwen said. “Uther authorized a lot of those payments himself.”

Merlin leaned forward. “Please keep that to yourself, Gwen.”

“I will.” She clasped her hands. “Arthur’s not involved, he wouldn’t.”

“No, if there was anything to be involved in.”

“What are we in for?”

Merlin pursed his lips. “If the internal investigation finds evidence of wrongdoing it would be in the company’s best interest to report it to the authorities. They would conduct their own investigation and if we cooperate fully we will probably reach a settlement out of court, likely a fine and enhanced compliance enforcement.”

Gwen watched him speculatively. “Would Uther have to step down?”

“No, unless the board asked him to.”

“Too bad.”

“Gwen,” Merlin said with mock disapproval.

“I’ll be happier when Arthur is in charge,” Gwen said.

“If the board does choose him as the next CEO, he’ll have to work longer hours than he does now,” Merlin said quietly.

“I know, and whoever he marries will have to put up with that.” Gwen rolled her eyes at his wide grin. She got to her feet and put one hand on the doorknob, then she turned back to him. “Did you do something to make Morgana angry at you?”

His stomach knotted. “Why?”

Gwen shook her head. “It’s probably her normal bitchiness combined with blaming you for this investigation and the extra work, but you might want to stay out of her way.”

Merlin forced the corners of his mouth up. “I will. Thanks, Gwen.”

~

 

Morgana looked up from her desk when Accolon entered her office. Her gaze trailed up and down his fitted suit, less jacket and tie, the top two buttons of his shirt undone to show a bit of tanned skin and curling dark hair.

She gestured at the chair in front of her desk. “I sent you a list of consulting invoices I’m reviewing for a special project and I expect you sampled a few in your internal audits.” She waited for his nod. “Don’t we usually confirm that vendor contracts are in place for services of such a material amount?”

He smiled tightly. “Yes. Although there were no contracts when we initially viewed the invoices, marketing subsequently sent us the missing documentation and we cleared all outstanding items. I have the agreements here for the invoices on your list.” He handed her a file.

“Thank you.” She set down the file and tapped it with long, sparkly green nails. “What about vendor due diligence checks?”

“They are not specifically required according to policy, but I followed up as you asked and we have now received checks on all the vendors. They’re in there as well.”

“No issues, then?”

“Not from internal audit, no.”

“Well, thank you for your additional effort on this project. I’m sorry to take you away from your regular duties which I know keep you so terribly busy. I hope it hasn’t interfered with your social life too much.” She forced a frosty smile and resolved to tone down the sarcasm which made him smirk at her display of jealousy.

“On the contrary, Barbie is completely understanding.”

 _Barbie?_ The blonde was named Barbie? It sounded like the name of a professional stripper which would explain that ridiculous dress she had been wearing with a neckline so low you could see her navel.

“She’s every bit as understanding as your _husband_ about late work nights.”

His familiar smirk had a hard edge. Why had she thought that sneering face was handsome?

Morgana ground her teeth together even as she forced a smile. “Well, as long as we have followed all our compliance rules, I will let you get back to your work.”

Accolon returned the smile with an arrogant nod.

She stared at his retreating back for a moment before turning to the file on her desktop, silently vowing to date only blondes from now on. The dark-haired ones were too aggravating. Including the compliance officer who was so big on policies and procedures and _rules_.

~

 

Merlin arrived at Arthur’s office at the appointed meeting time to find Leon and Morgause seated at the small conference table. Merlin glanced toward Arthur but he was staring at his hand as it drummed the table surface. It was Leon that gestured Merlin to come in and sit down.

Merlin closed the office door and took a chair opposite the Corporate Counsel and the Executive Vice President of Human Resources.

A tiny, cold smile barely touched Morgause’s perfectly-made up face. “Thank you for coming.”

“Merlin,” Leon said. “We wanted to double-check a few facts with you regarding these consultant payments. You said there were no contracts in the payables files and marketing sent you the agreements only after you requested them?”

“Yes.”

“You also said no third-party due diligence check had been done on the vendors?”

“Not that we found any record of.”

“Did you follow up with the Finance department?” Leon asked.

Merlin paused. He was fairly certain Arthur had confirmed with Uther that no due diligence was done, but Merlin had not gone to Gwen or Morgana. “No.”

Leon glanced sideways at Arthur who stopped drumming the table top but was still staring fixedly at his hand.

“We asked the Executive Vice President of Finance to pull the payables records,” Leon said. “The documents Morgana forwarded had the contracts attached and she confirmed they had been filed with the payments.”

Merlin stared at Leon.

“The agreements were poorly drawn up. I will make a recommendation to marketing about involving the legal department next time, but there was documentation in place.” Leon tapped a folder on the table in front of him. “Morgana also provided the due diligence reports which we typically obtain on new vendors in those countries. They’re not from our usual provider, but everything seems to be in order.”

Merlin nodded slowly.

“Well, that’s all we needed. Thank you for your time.” Leon gathered up the documents in front of him and nodded to Arthur as well as Merlin.

Morgause stood when Leon did. With another small smile, she followed the lawyer out of the office.

After they had gone, Merlin looked at Arthur. “You know that documentation was not in the files when George examined them.”

Arthur met his eyes. “Why would Morgana lie? She has no reason to protect Uther, she’s at odds with our father more than I am.”

Merlin felt warmth creep into his cheeks.

Arthur’s brows went up. “I didn’t expect you to be able to answer that question. I thought this was some convoluted game of hers because she wants the world to be as miserable as she is.”

“She might be angry with me over something that happened a few weeks ago.” Merlin clasped his hands in front of him and stared intently at the floor.

“Are you going to tell me what?”

Merlin’s cheeks grew hotter. “I’d rather not.”

Arthur puffed out a breath and shook his head. “Fine.”

“What now?” Merlin asked.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing,” Arthur repeated. “Leon explained that the internal investigation did not turn up any evidence of wrongdoing and the matter will be closed.”

Merlin looked Arthur in the eye. “But you know we used those so-called consultants to pass bribes to foreign officials.”

“I don’t know for certain –”

“Yes, you do.”

Arthur drummed his fingers on the table again. “We’ve taken it through the proper channels. There is nothing more to be done except make sure it never happens again.”

“What about the Audit Committee?”

“Leon will report his investigation results to them at the next quarterly meeting.”

Merlin looked down at his hands. “The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accepts tips.”

Arthur stared at him. “You would blow the whistle on my father’s company?”

“Unless there are repercussions it will happen again and besides the best way to protect the company is to be above board even after the law is broken,” Merlin said. “And it’s the right thing to do.”

“We followed local custom to get business done.”

“Bribery is illegal in all of those countries.”

“Let’s not make this into a big deal, it’s a couple of million dollars half a world away and no one got hurt.”

“People always get hurt,” Merlin said. “That’s why corruption is illegal.”

“Is that any concern of ours?”

“It is if we’re financing it.”

~

 

Arthur lowered his squash racquet, breathing heavily. Lancelot did the same, peeling his damp shirt away from his chest. It was a relief their business relationship and their friendship remained unaffected by their common attraction to the same woman. Arthur wondered if he would be as gracious as Lancelot had Gwen chosen him instead.

“How’s Elaine?” Arthur asked between breaths. “Guinevere said you’ve been seeing a lot of each other.” He liked her friend well enough but her ever-changing hair colour, nose piercing, and outspokenness slightly unnerved him. He wondered how quiet, conservative Lancelot coped with her.

“She’s great.” Lancelot’s flushed face darkened a bit more. He glanced sideways at Arthur. “She’s bold, isn’t she?”

A grin twitch the corners of Arthur’s mouth as he imagined outgoing Elaine pulling the reserved Lancelot out of his comfort zone. Perhaps they were a good fit, after all.

“Another round? Or are you tired of being beaten?” Lancelot swiped his brow with his forearm.

“I was distracted,” Arthur said, both hands on his knees.

Lancelot raised his brows.

Arthur straightened and then stretched his tired muscles. “Legal stuff. It might have involved corruption but in a place where that’s common and it was a small sum.”

Lancelot slowly straightened as well, but rather than stretching he stood stiffly. “In the town where I grew up in Guatemala, there was a mayor who campaigned for election on his promise to repair the school and make sure the children got meals. At election time, crowds lined up outside the polling booth, all the way across the square, my parents included, and he won. But a year later our school was still crumbling and we were still hungry. Someone said the official reports claimed that the work had been done and the money had been paid. People got angry, they started meeting in houses and in parks. Sometimes my parents would take me with them, sometimes it was safer not to. Finally authorities gave people access to documents showing that over 100 cheques were paid out and the mayor signed for all of them for work that was never done and food that was never delivered. But he ran in the next election and he was voted in again. He paid neighbouring communities to vote and bused them into town.” Lancelot held Arthur’s gaze steadily. “Corruption hurts people. That’s why I work for your company, for you, because our company will not condone bribery or corruption.”

Arthur met his eyes. “There was an internal investigation. I’ve done all I can.”

“What does Merlin say?”

“That it should be reported to the authorities.”

“Then it should.”

~

 

Arthur watched Gwen take another bite of food, his eyes on her lips, when she glanced up and caught him staring. Hastily he took a bite of his own meal.

The waitress refilled their water glasses and he thanked her before turning his attention to his fork, spinning it between his fingers.

“Gwen,” he asked, “are you familiar with our company’s anti-corruption policy?”

“Of course.”

He looked up in surprise.

“Every year each employee is required to take the on-line training module, read through the policy, and certify compliance,” Gwen said.

“Oh, right.” Arthur used his fork to spear a piece of steak but did not lift it to his mouth.

When he did not say anything more, Gwen spoke softly.

“A while ago Morgana had me pull all the paid invoices for consulting services last year in three countries.”

Arthur set the fork aside and stared at the white table cloth. “Some of those payments may have been inappropriate,” he said slowly. “My father was probably involved. The company did an internal investigation but nothing came of it. Merlin thinks we should report it anyway, but I fear what might happen if he does that.”

He looked up to find Gwen watching him sympathetically.

“What are you going to do about it?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

She reached over to lay one hand on top of his on the table.

He was unable to look away from her expression, the one that made him believe he could slay dragons for her and at the same time that he was helpless without her hand holding his.

“I know you’ll do the right thing, Arthur.”

~

 

Uther paced at the front of the board room. Morgause and Morgana were seated at the long table across from Arthur and Leon. Arthur was glad Leon was doing most of the talking.

“It is an SEC investigation, not the end of the world,” the lawyer said calmly.

“I thought we settled this matter already,” Uther said.

Leon glanced at Morgana. “We received conflicting information from our internal sources, but someone notified the authorities anyway and they are merely going to sort out the facts. This is a relatively small case for them, their investigation will not take long.”

Uther stopped pacing to glare at the lawyer. “The board is not going to be happy that the United States government is investigating us for criminal wrongdoing, nor are our shareholders.”

“That’s why we need to respond swiftly and demonstrate we are taking appropriate action,” Leon said.

“Including my stepping down?” Uther demanded.

Leon looked toward the other three executives at the table. “The Audit Committee thought it would be a gesture of good faith.”

Uther grasped the back of a chair and fixed them all with a look. “I want to make it clear this is a temporary measure. And I want the whistleblower fired.”

“Retaliation for good-faith reports is against our Code of Business Ethics,” Arthur said.

“It won’t be retaliation,” Morgause said. “We don’t have to give a reason to let someone go and he will be given a generous settlement package.”

Morgana smiled.

“Leon?” Arthur asked.

The lawyer looked at Uther, then Morgause, then Arthur. “The courts are unpredictable, but most wrongful dismissal suits are settled with an appropriate payout of salary and benefits. Frankly, the whistleblower probably does not want to continue working for us in any case.”

“Then it’s settled,” Uther said. “Morgause, take care of that.”

“Yes, Father.”

Uther turned to his son. “Arthur, how quickly can you assume the CEO position?”

“I won’t be able to.”

All of them turned to him in surprise.

Uther frowned. “What does that mean?”

“I won’t be working for the company anymore because you decided to fire me.” Arthur looked directly at his father. “I’m the one who sent the information to the SEC.”

There were identical shocked expressions on his sisters’ faces. Leon might have been hiding admiration behind his neutral lawyer countenance. Uther’s face turned an unhealthy purple.

“You embarrassed this company by bringing the government into our private business?” Uther demanded.

“The only embarrassment will be if this company engaged in bribery.”

“You don’t understand how business gets done. I may not like it, either, but I am not telling someone else how to run their country. I have grown this company from a family business to a multi-national equipment dealer and I tried to teach you how to keep it running. Apparently you have learned nothing.” Uther switched his gaze from Arthur to his daughter. “Morgana, you will take over as interim CEO.”

Morgana sat straighter in her chair as surprise was replaced by a pleased expression. Beside her, Morgause looked from Arthur to Morgana and smiled softly.

When they had finished their business, Uther marched out of the room without looking at his son. Leon said a polite goodbye as he left and Morgause followed him out.

Arthur looked at his sister. “Congratulations, Morgana.”

“Thank you,” she answered. “I’m not going to fire you, you know, I’ll need your help. I can handle the marketing and financial areas but you are the expert in operations.”

He nodded in acknowledgement but did not smile.

“I’m not going to fire your girlfriend, either, if that’s what you’re worried about. I think I’ll even make Gwen acting head of Finance; she is qualified and I won’t have to spend time training someone new.”

If Morgana expected gratitude from him she was disappointed.

Her brows drew together and she tipped her head to the side. “Is there something else bothering you, little brother?”

“I don’t particularly want to work for a CEO that I can’t trust.”

“Then you should be happy our father is on leave.”

Arthur looked her in the eye. “But you’re taking his place, and you’re like him.”

The shot had hit home but he refused to allow himself to feel sorry for telling her the truth. He left before she could voice whatever angry retort was building in her head.

Gwen’s anxious gaze fastened on him when he walked into her office.

Merlin jumped to his feet. “What happened?”

Arthur shut the door behind him and took the seat Merlin had vacated across from Gwen. He rocked it back on two legs and propped one knee against her desk. “You nearly got fired,” he said to Merlin.

“That doesn’t matter,” Merlin said. “There are lots of compliance jobs out there right now.”

“Well, don’t worry because I’m still your boss and I have no intention of letting you go.”

Gwen’s eyes had not left his face. “Does that mean you’re not acting CEO while Uther is on leave?”

“Nope. Morgana is.”

Merlin sent him a sympathetic look. “This is all my fault.”

“Give me some credit, Merlin. It was my decision to blow the whistle for the good of this company and I’m glad I did. If I never get promoted from VP to CEO that suits me fine; I like what I do. Besides, I won’t have time to take on extra responsibility at this point in my life.” Arthur ignored Merlin’s puzzled look and fixed his gaze on Gwen.

Her eyes widened, then she ducked her head and shuffled the papers on her desk.

Merlin’s eyes darted between them. “What are you … Oh.” He tilted his chin. “Should I go?”

“No, Merlin. Guinevere and I will have a private conversation somewhere romantic over dinner tonight.”

Gwen gave Arthur an arch look. “I haven’t agreed to have dinner with you tonight.”

He put on his best smile. “I’m hopeful.” His breath caught at the way her face lit up.

Merlin put his hands on his hips. “For your information, Gwen and I have plans to go for a drink after work.”

“Well, you’ll have to find your own girl to take out tonight.”

“Gwen, are you going to stand me up?”

She regarded Merlin with a thoughtful look. “You should ask Darla from accounting to join you instead.”

“No. If you’re ditching me I’ll –”

“Work late?” Gwen frowned. “What’s wrong with Darla? She’s nice and she likes you.”

“And she has great legs, not that I noticed,” Arthur added hastily with a glance at Gwen.

Merlin looked from one to the other with a harried expression. “She’s nice to everyone, not me particularly.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Or you could go out with Jennifer from Admin.”

Arthur nodded. “She’s always flirting with you.”

“She flirts with everyone.”

“Only when you’re around.” Gwen smiled. “She’s trying to get you to notice her.”

Merlin began backing toward the door. “Why do people who are in a relationship always want everyone around them to be in pairs?”

“Because we want you to be as happy as we are.” Gwen slanted Arthur a look and a few dark ringlets fell across her eye.

Arthur’s gaze fastened on her face. Had he even considered a life where he did not see that smile every day? “Plus it keeps you out of our hair so we have more time alone together.”

“We’re not all as lucky as you two are,” Merlin muttered, one hand on the doorknob.

Arthur raised one brow. “It isn’t luck, it’s being smart enough to recognize a good thing when it’s right in front of you.”

Gwen laughed, her brown eyes sparkling, and he found himself unable to look away even as he heard her office door open and close behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

It was her third week as acting Chief Executive Officer and Morgana was settling into a routine. Uther’s Administrative Assistant was close enough to provide support for the CEO duties Morgana had taken over while her own assistant divided her time between managing Morgana’s schedule and helping Gwen with the finance responsibilities.

Morgana leaned back in her chair, rolled her shoulders, and tipped her head from side to side to loosen sore neck muscles before bending over the papers on her desk again. It was fortunate there was no one to miss her during her long workdays and the additional travel. Urien was used to her extended absences, including nights, and Accolon had given no indication he wanted to patch up their differences.

It had been a stretch to take on Uther’s workload as well as the financial duties that could not be delegated to Gwen, but Morgana had reallocated some marketing responsibilities and the vice presidents had been pleased to assume more direct control in their areas. In fact, the duty reallocations she had put in place should be made permanent if the company was to keep its best marketing staff or there would be no one to take over when Uther finally retired. If he intended to ever retire.

Morgana clenched her teeth at the memory of Arthur accusing her – her! – of being like Uther. If and when she had children she would never be as utterly uninvolved in their lives as her father had been in hers. Of course, he had always shown more interest in his son than in either of his daughters so Arthur had not felt as isolated from him as she did. Nor had there been any doubt about Arthur’s parentage despite the fact that he resembled their blonde mother while she had inherited Uther’s colouring.

Morgause rapped on the open door and paused in the doorway until Morgana looked up. Her sister’s platinum hair was full and long, her eyebrows perfectly arched and not too thick, her mouth the perfect size, and her neck graceful. She was barely taller than Morgana but the extra height was all in her long legs. Why had Morgause and Arthur inherited the grace and beauty of their mothers and left Morgana to resemble their father?

She set down her pen and gestured her sister in, taking the opportunity to stretch out the cramp in her fingers and arch her back. Morgause lifted one eyebrow as she took a seat opposite Morgana’s desk.

“Tough day?” Morgause asked.

“It’s been a long week but I’m coping.”

“You’re doing well,” Morgause said. “Truly, you’re a natural at this. You take after Uther far more than Arthur or I.”

Morgana’s heart raced. “I’m not like our father.”

Morgause sat back slightly and raised her brows. “It’s a compliment. I always thought you were a better choice for our next CEO than Arthur. He’s too caught up in rules and the day-to-day running of things. You see the bigger picture, like with this whole investigation thing. No one cares if a profitable company used its own money to bribe some official on another continent to purchase good-quality equipment at a reasonable price. Even the U.S. government is only investigating because someone sees an opportunity to score political points by waging war on corruption; it isn’t that they care.”

As a financial officer, Morgana knew that the cost of the bribe would have to be recouped in the sale price, so Morgause’s logic was not entirely correct. Although she was probably right about no one caring.

“Plus I can picture Arthur marrying that accountant and neglecting his work to please her. She has no concept of how many hours an executive has to devote to a company this size.” Morgause’s brow furrowed. “I was surprised you promoted her, but then the Controller is the logical choice to replace our Executive Vice President of Finance while you cover the top desk.”

“Gwen is a hard worker,” Morgana said.

“Oh, I’ll give you that, she gets her work done but she isn’t here every evening and weekend the way you are, the way our father was.”

Morgana looked closely at her sister. “Did you resent Father working all the time, ignoring Vivienne and you?”

The blonde sat back in her chair. “I was only eight years old when he left us for your mother. I barely noticed he didn’t live with us anymore, and to be honest I’m not sure my mother cared at that point, either. You know how these things work, it’s the same with you and Urien as it was with Uther and my mother. That is the main reason I do not intend to bother with marriage: it’s expensive and pointless. Arthur should have realized that when you told him his girlfriend was cheating on him.”

“I’m not certain Gwen was cheating on him, I only saw her standing close to Lancelot.” Morgana frowned at the memory; she had probably exaggerated when she hinted to Arthur what she had seen.

“It’s only a matter of time until their relationship ends, anyway, like yours.” Morgause leaned forward, her eyes searching Morgana’s face. “You look pale, are you sure you’re coping as well as you think?”

“I’ll be fine,” Morgana said, forcing a smile. “You have more papers for me to sign, I take it?” She gestured at the folder Morgause had brought.

“Yes.” Morgause took out the first document and briskly went through the benefits Morgana would be entitled to as acting CEO.

Morgana tried to concentrate on what her sister was explaining.

~

 

The dark outside Morgana’s office window was tempered by a diffuse glow of city lights punctuated by a few lit windows in the other tall office buildings. She was about to shut her computer down for the night and find something to eat when her last open screen came up with the company intranet. She opened the governance page, looking for the section on corruption awareness.

There was a video and an acknowledgement which all employees signed off annually. She must have certified her compliance although she did not recall reading the certificate she had signed. Uther would have been required to certify his compliance with the anti-corruption policy and the Code of Business Ethics, but he would have given it as little thought as she had.

Morgana stared out the window in the direction of her condo. She had no idea if her husband was home or not, or whether he was alone if he was there, like Uther would not have known if Vivienne was waiting for him, like he seemed oblivious to Morgana’s own mother. He had thought nothing of sleeping with Ygraine while married to Vivienne the way Morgana thought nothing of her affairs. Uther gave no consideration to rules or other people’s feelings if they interfered with his own desires. She had felt contempt for him, while doing the same herself.

That was probably why Merlin had always been aloof from her; he must have noticed how much she was like Uther. When he joined the company she had been intrigued by the lanky, dark-haired compliance manager with his beautiful blue eyes and sharp cheekbones. She thought he had been interested in her but he had carefully kept his distance. Then she had seen him with a pretty brown-haired girl with big dark eyes so Morgana had accepted Urien’s invitation to dinner. Their courtship had been brief: Urien was good-looking, wealthy, and her friends and her parents said he was perfect for her. They married within months.

It had been a mistake. One of many. It was time to start fixing her mistakes.

~

 

Arthur walked into Morgana’s office without knocking. He opened his mouth to speak before he realized she was on the phone.

Her eyebrows rose when he barged in but she calmly finished her call before she hung up the receiver and turned to him.

“Yes, Arthur?”

The interruption had given him a moment to collect his thoughts. “I read the information package for the Audit Committee meeting,” he said as he sat across from her.

She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands in her lap. “And?”

“Leon’s report on the internal investigation into the consulting payments indicates there were no contracts submitted with the original payment requests Father authorized. Also no due diligence check was done on the consultants until after the investigation was opened, and then the check was incomplete.”

“If you have questions about Leon’s report wouldn’t it make more sense to speak with him?” Morgana asked.

“I did,” Arthur said. “He said you forwarded him additional information and apologized for being mistaken. What game are you playing?”

“What on earth do you mean?”

“Do you like the new title so much you want Father to be found guilty and fired?”

“The board is not going to fire him,” Morgana said. “The company will pay a fine to settle the charges, cooperate fully, and make sure we do not engage in further questionable dealings with foreign government officials.”

Arthur frowned. “Then why did you decide to be truthful?”

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair before she leaned her elbows on the desk and looked him in the eye. “Because I do not agree with Father’s methods and I will not play a part in covering up anything he has done.”

“You did before.”

“I never intended to cover anything up. I assumed he took a shortcut around an administrative rule and our overly zealous compliance officer made a big deal out of nothing.”

“What changed your mind?” Arthur watched his sister narrowly, uncertain how she intended to use this to her advantage.

“I realized that for all his talk of doing what was best for the company, Father was doing what was best for himself, for his own success, and I’ve decided I’m not like him.”

The calm assurance of her tone baffled him. She made no effort to convince him of the truth of her words.

Uncertain how to respond, Arthur let the silence stretch out for a moment. Finally he nodded and got to his feet.

“Arthur,” she said.

He looked back.

“I need to ask a favour.” She looked down at her desk, took a deep breath, then met his eyes. “I left Urien and I’m looking for a place to stay. Would you mind sharing your condo? Not for long,” she hastened to add. “Only until I can make arrangements.”

“You’re not moving in with someone else?”

She shook her head. “There is no one else right now. I’ve been staying at a hotel but I’d rather find somewhere more permanent, even though it won’t be permanent, just until I have time to find a place of my own. I could ask Morgause about moving in with her for a while, but …”

Arthur regarded his sister’s slightly embarrassed expression. “No problem. Stay with me as long as you want.”

~

 

Morgana’s red Nissan was already parked in their parents’ drive when Arthur pulled up with Gwen. He shut off the engine of his MG and was about to open his car door when Gwen put a hand on his arm.

“Wait. Maybe it’s best not to say anything to your family for a while, at least until you and your father are on better terms.” She looked nervous.

“It’ll be fine,” Arthur said with a smile. “The SEC investigation is done, we have a good idea what the penalties will be, and we know they won’t impose a monitor on us. Father is back in the CEO chair and he will forgive me in time, or not. It doesn’t make any difference to our plans.” Arthur laid his hand on top of hers and squeezed before leaning over to kiss her. “I love you.”

Gwen returned the smile. “I love you, too.”

Clouds blocked off the sky and wind whipped at them as they hurried up the front steps holding hands.

Arthur’s family had gathered in the drawing room before dinner rather than the porch.

His mother pressed her lips together at the sight of him standing in the doorway of the room, left hand clenched tightly in Gwen’s right. Ygraine put on a welcoming smile and gestured them in without rising from her seat.

Uther barely acknowledged his son. He shifted in his chair to face the other direction and took a swallow of his drink.

From her place on the sofa, Morgana gave their joined hands a speculative look before she met his eyes and raised a brow.

“I’m glad we’re all here,” Ygraine said. “I can barely remember the last time our family got together for a meal.”

Arthur wondered if Morgana would make a scathing comment about the strained silence that had stretched between father and son at their last dinner together but she remained quiet.

Ygraine smiled. “Now that all that nasty business with the audit or whatever it was is done and your father is back at work things can return to normal here.”

“Seven weeks cooped up with Father must be more than enough for anyone,” Morgana said under her breath.

Ygraine sent her daughter a narrow look. “On the contrary, I was glad to have him. We had our first vacation together where he only checked his phone twice a day.”

Arthur looked at his sister in surprise; it was a mark of her competence that their father had not been looking over her shoulder every minute. His eyes grew wider at the affectionate look his parents traded.

Morgana saw her parents’ warm exchange as well and a shadow crossed her face. She had seemed to take the end of her marriage with more relief than regret. He had found her much nicer to be around these past two weeks than during the past two years, which made him forget that her divorce must be difficult anyway. He hoped his announcement would not make it harder for her.

Arthur and Gwen remained standing and Ygraine glanced at them inquiringly.

He released Gwen’s hand to put his left arm around her. “We have something we’d like to tell you.”

Uther’s arm froze in midair before he quietly set his glass down without taking a drink. Ygraine kept her face blank. Morgana sat up straighter on the couch.

“Guinevere and I are getting married.”

He felt Gwen tense and squeezed her slightly. She put on a bright smile.

Ygraine stood and walked over to them. Her smile was forced but she took both Gwen’s hands in hers. “That is lovely news, we’re happy for you both.”

Arthur glanced at his father.

Uther merely said, “Congratulations,” before he picked up his glass and downed the remainder of his drink.

When Morgana got up and approached them, Ygraine stepped aside and Arthur moved a little closer to Gwen, tightening his arm around her.

Morgana held out a hand to him. “Congratulations.”

He clasped her hand. “Thanks.”

Then she turned to Gwen and put both arms around her. “I wish you all the best.”

Gwen hesitated, then embraced her in response.

Morgana turned to her mother. “We should open a bottle of something appropriate to celebrate the good news.”

“Of course.” Ygraine gratefully took the opportunity to move away.

“I’ll make more of an effort to find a place of my own and get out from underfoot.” Morgana winked at Arthur. “You two have a lot of planning to do.”

Arthur felt an unexpected spear of disappointment. Having her stay at his condo had felt like their childhood again: reminiscing about shared adventures, making fun of their parents, talking about people they knew from school. Plus Morgana was a surprisingly good cook.

“Actually,” Gwen shot him a look, “we’d appreciate your help with the wedding. I mean, if you want to give me a hand.”

Morgana looked pleasantly surprised. “I’d love to help.”

~

 

Merlin checked the time on his phone as he took the elevator up to Arthur’s condo. He had not been buzzed in since someone had been walking out the building’s front door as he walked in, but Arthur and Gwen were expecting him at 7:00 and he was only a few minutes early. Merlin smiled at how his friends had barely been able to contain their happiness when they showed him the ring and invited him to dinner.

He was thrilled for them even though he knew their marriage would change things, like when Percival and his boyfriend moved in together. Now Lancelot and Elaine were seeing each other regularly and Arthur and Gwen would spend even more time together. That left him and Gwaine as the only single ones of their set, and Merlin had no illusions he could keep up Gwaine’s pace for more than one weekend a month. One weekend a year. Which left a lot of evenings in his empty flat watching old movies.

He shifted the bottle of white wine he had brought into his left hand as he knocked on the door with his right. When it was opened by Morgana he took a step back and checked the number on the familiar door, but it was definitely Arthur’s apartment.

She appeared to be as surprised as he was. “Merlin.”

“Arthur and Gwen said to come by at 7:00.” He gestured with the wine bottle and glanced around her into the apartment.

“Oh.” She held the door wider and stepped back. “They went to pick up food about twenty minutes ago, said they would be back in an hour or so.”

He hesitated in the doorway, but she reached for the wine.

“I’ll put that in the kitchen,” she said.

When she moved down the hallway he paused uncertainly for a moment, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him. She set the bottle on the counter and looked up to see him standing in the hall.

“I can wait downstairs until they get back,” he said. There was a games room on the main floor with a comfortable sofa from which he could see the main doors.

Her face hardened. “Can’t stand my company for even an hour?”

“No.” His forehead creased. “I mean, yes.” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “I never got an opportunity to say that I’m grateful you cleared up that misunderstanding about the consultant invoices.”

Gwen had made certain he knew that Morgana was the reason the internal investigation changed its conclusion. He had been concerned that Gwen’s working relationship with her boss would be strained now that she and Arthur planned to marry, but instead Gwen seemed to have developed a genuine liking for Morgana and had been determined to exonerate her.

Her chin tilted and one eyebrow quirked at the word “misunderstanding.” Morgana had not made any move to put the wine bottle in the fridge, her gaze fixed on him.

He swallowed. “You don’t need to keep me company, you must have better things to do. I’m sorry to interrupt.” It struck him then how odd it was that Morgana would be in her brother’s condo looking very much at home.

“Arthur didn’t tell you I was living here, did he?”

“No.” Why on earth would Morgana be staying with Arthur?

“He must have thought you wouldn’t come if you knew, given how much you dislike me.”

“I do like you.” Out loud that sounded wrong and he felt his cheeks grow warm. “I mean I wouldn’t avoid you, except you were angry at me the last time we spoke.” As much as he tried to stop it the flush grew darker.

“You avoided me long before that. When you and Arthur became friends you would give me a disapproving look and leave the room if we crossed paths outside of the office.”

His astonishment must be written on his face. _Disapproving_? It was surprising she had even noticed him because she was unfailingly accompanied by one incredibly good-looking man or another, rarely the same one. “You were usually busy.”

“I gave you plenty of opportunities,” she said.

Now he was really confused.

She appeared puzzled as she came back around the kitchen counter to stand facing him in the hallway, watching him closely. He wondered if she expected him to say something but if so he had no idea what it was.

She tipped her head to the side. “When you ignored my overtures so completely I assumed you weren’t interested.”

“What?” he stammered. Who would not be interested in Morgana?

She was still staring at him, her lips slightly parted.

He tried to remember what they were talking about. “Why are you staying here with Arthur?”

“My marriage is over. Arthur offered to share his place until I find my own.”

“Oh.” She seemed to be relaxed and in a sharing mood so he dared to ask the next question that sprang to mind. “Why not stay with Accolon?”

Her chin went up and he worried that he might have offended her, but her voice was calm when she answered. “We’re not together.”

“Oh.”

She was separated from her husband, had broken up with her lover, and was standing an arm’s length away watching him with the curling ends of her long dark, hair brushing the tops of her breasts. He forced his eyes up from the neckline of her blouse where the top two buttons were open but his gaze only moved up as far as her lips. The corners of her mouth curved up and he met her eyes, embarrassed that she was aware he had been staring.

“Are you sure you want to end your marriage?” he asked.

The smile disappeared. She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. “His girlfriend moved in before I took my last box out.”

He nodded without speaking.

“My lawyer already filed the papers and Urien’s lawyer was quick to let me know the divorce was uncontested.” The grimace on her face was regretful rather than bitter. “Why do you ask?”

 _Lonely_ , Gwen had called her, and he had not understood how someone like her could be lonely in the way that he was. “I wanted to know for sure you were unattached.”

Nobody else was going to be hurt whatever he chose to do now, and if he got hurt himself, well – she was worth it. He took a step forward, put one hand on the back of her head, leaned down and kissed her. Then he drew back slightly, uncertain of her reaction.

Her eyes met his before she reached up to draw his head down and kissed him back.

His mouth opened to hers and his tongue eagerly returned her caresses, a shudder wracking him when she sucked. She pressed against him and his heart pounded so hard he was certain she could feel it. The hand that he had in her hair stroked the long, silky strands and his left hand rested on her hip, then curved around her waist and slid up her back, holding her tighter, increasing the pressure of her breasts against his chest.

When the kiss ended she leaned back without releasing him, his arms around her and her hips pressed against him. His lungs sucked in the air they had been denied.

Her breath was shortened and her cheeks were flushed making her lips even redder.

Merlin struggled for the courage to voice his feelings without sounding too … girlish, Arthur would call it. “It’s as if I’m always lonely except when I’m with you. Like there was a piece of me missing and I didn’t know it except for a hollow feeling but with you I feel whole.” He dropped his gaze at her stunned expression. “That sounds cheesy.”

“No.”

He dared to look at her face and was mesmerized by the knowing look in her eyes.

“That’s exactly right. I feel it, too.” She reached up and tucked a lock of his hair behind his ear. “Is this the point where I tell you my bedroom is up those stairs right there?” she asked.

“Morgana, I don’t want that.”

She raised a brow and glanced down to where their hips were pressed together.

His face grew hotter yet. “I mean, I don’t want only that,” he said. “I want to get to know you. What is your favourite colour? What music do you like? What was your best subject in school?”

Her lips twitched but she answered, “Blue, no particular genre as long as I can make out most of the words, and math. You?”

“Red, almost anything with good lyrics, and English.”

She continued to lean back, looking into his face, holding back a smile.

He was certain none of the handsome, confident men constantly surrounding her would waste time talking at this moment. “Sorry I’m not better at this.”

Her gaze dropped to his mouth. “You kiss well enough.”

The air backed up in his lungs and he could not draw a breath.

Her eyes met his, then she let go of him to step back, take his hand, and lead him toward the glass-sided staircase. The steps led from the living area up to where two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms took up the entire second floor of the condo, one on each side of the stairs. When they reached the top she turned left, pushed open the door to the guest room, and pulled him inside.

The moment he was in the room, she pushed him back against the door which banged closed behind him and held him there, her hands slipping under his shirt. He raised his arms to let her slide the garment over his head, then his hands went to the buttons on her blouse. His shaking fingers undid the top two fasteners before she had undone the rest and shrugged out of the blouse. She ran her hands up his chest, over his shoulders, and cupped his face to press her mouth to his again.

His hands stroked her back, under her hair, hesitating at the catch of her bra. Then he froze at the sound of voices in the hall below and the apartment door shutting.

“Morgana,” Arthur called.

She broke off the kiss and rested her forehead against Merlin’s shoulder.

“Shhh,” came Gwen’s voice. “Look.”

Merlin remembered the bottle of wine he had brought which Morgana had left on the kitchen counter. There were some hushed words he could not make out, then Arthur’s voice.

“She’s my sister and it’s my apartment.”

“Like this wasn’t a setup,” Morgana mumbled.

Merlin realized that Arthur and Gwen had told him to arrive at the exact time they would be gone and conveniently forgot to mention that Morgana was there. Not that any action of his friends excused his being half undressed in the bedroom of his boss’s married sister, separated from her husband or not. Who had the thickest, longest hair he had ever run his hands through and the smoothest skin on her curved back.

His hands caressed her skin and she gasped, leaning back to look at him.

“Do we go down and join them?” Morgana asked softly.

He nodded several times, trying to draw breath to speak. “Yes we should, we should join them.”

She trailed her fingers down his chest to the waistband of his trousers. The last bit of air in his lungs was lost. He pressed his mouth to hers. Later, they should join them later.

An hour later he became conscious of the delicious smells wafting up the stairs and decided he was hungry. Stretched beside him in her bed, Morgana ran a hand up his chest and her bare leg rubbed against his. He decided he was not that hungry.

Slipping one hand into her hair he turned sideways to kiss her. She leaned over him, pressing him onto his back as she returned the kiss and slid her hand across the slight stubble on his cheek.

They heard heavy footsteps on the stairs followed by lighter footfalls and a whispered conversation.

“Fine, five more minutes,” Arthur’s voice said loudly before footsteps stomped back down the stairs.

Morgana rolled away from Merlin and gave an exasperated sigh. “We better go downstairs.” She sat up to collect her underwear. “The food does smell good, though.”

He took several deep breaths and tried to relax before slowly getting up and looking around for his clothes.

His pants smacked him in the face before he could put up a hand to catch them and he saw Morgana grinning at him, hands on her hips. She had put on her panties but nothing else and he stood unmoving, staring at her.

“If you stand there looking at me like that we are going to end up in a compromising position when Arthur bursts through that door in a few minutes,” she said.

Merlin tried to remember why that would matter, then he shook his head to clear it and looked down at the pants in his hand. Without looking her way again, he quickly gathered up his clothes and got dressed. He could hear the rustle of her blouse but avoided letting his eyes wander from his own tasks.

He straightened his shirt. When he ran a hand through his hair to tame it down, he felt Morgana’s hands on his head smoothing through the tangled strands. She moved in front of him to smooth down the front and his eyes riveted on her hair but she had already brushed it and he did not dare return the favour, anyway.

There was a crease in her smooth brow and a cold sliver of doubt pricked at him.

“Second thoughts?” she asked.

“No,” he answered, startled.

Her fingers brushed his cheek. “With my job I won’t have a lot of time for dating.”

“I’ll be available whenever you are.” That sounded desperate. He bit his lip but she smiled tenderly.

“Even in an uncontested divorce we have to wait a certain length of time before it’s final. I don’t think we should be public about our relationship before then.”

Relationship. She used the word relationship about him. He lifted her chin with one finger. “I understand. And I agree.”

Her mouth curved up and the crease disappeared from her forehead. “That doesn’t give you a lot of time to get to know me.”

“Besides that you like math, the colour blue, Vietnamese food, coffee in the morning, ginger tea in the afternoon, and red wine at social events?”

Her eyes widened.

“Not that I would know what you usually drink,” he added hastily.

The corners of her lips twitched. “Like I didn’t notice that year you wore bowties instead of neckties or how you’ve been growing your hair out.” Her left hand smoothed one loose strand behind his ear. “By the way, I thought I didn’t like your hair long because it hides your ears but it is nice to grab on to.”

Her hand fisted in his hair and she brought his head down to plant a light kiss on his lips, then opened the door.

He took a moment to catch his breath before following her down the staircase.

They could see the backs of Arthur’s and Gwen’s heads side by side on the sofa.

At the creak of the steps Arthur glanced back. “Food’s in the kitchen.”

“Good, we’re starved,” Morgana said.

She winked at her brother, Merlin felt his face heat up, and Arthur grunted before he turned back to the television.

Morgana and Merlin brought their plates to the living room to sit with Arthur and Gwen.

Arthur arched a brow at Merlin. “We need to set some ground rules.”

Morgana rolled her eyes. “I spend three weeks living across the hall from the two of you and _now_ we have rules?”

Arthur flushed and Gwen turned away to hide her smile.

“Guinevere and I are engaged to be wed,” Arthur said. “That is an entirely different situation.”

Merlin ducked his head, Morgana merely huffed.

“Arthur,” Gwen said. “They’re both adults.”

He sent her a betrayed look. “It’s still my apartment,” he muttered.

Gwen smiled and shifted closer to him on the sofa. He smiled back as he put an arm around her.

There was a moment of silence before she spoke.

“I understand your parents are taking a trip?” she asked Morgana politely.

“Yes, five whole weeks together and Father claims he will be offline during that time.” Morgana glanced at Arthur and Gwen out of the corner of her eye. “I hope they’ll be as happy together as you two are.”

Arthur held his sister’s gaze. “I hope you are, too, some day.”

She flushed slightly and turned back to her plate.

“I hear Father is leaving you in charge while he’s away,” Arthur added.

Morgana’s brows rose. “Really, because I heard he was leaving you in charge this time.”

Arthur shrugged. “I’ll be busy making plans for the wedding.” His arm squeezed Gwen’s shoulders. “Besides, if I take over as CEO that would make me Guinevere’s boss’s boss and we wouldn’t want to violate company policy about office relationships.” He grinned at Merlin. “But then, if Morgana takes over as CEO, that would make certain other relationships inappropriate.”

“You’re right. I quit.” It was hard to hold back a laugh at Arthur’s shocked expression.

Morgana sat on the arm of Merlin’s chair and laid one hand on the back of his neck. “Would you really?”

“There are plenty of job opportunities for me, but I don’t want to miss any more chances to show you how I feel.”

Arthur turned an offended look on him. “You cheerfully give up working for me just to …” His voice trailed off as he looked between Morgana and Merlin. “Never mind.”

“Why don’t we open that bottle Merlin brought and celebrate?” Gwen said.

Merlin gave her an arch look. “Celebrate my quitting?”

“No.” Gwen smiled at Arthur. “Celebrate life, and making the right choices.”

With one arm still around Gwen, Arthur linked his other hand with hers and smiled back.

“No matter how long it takes to make those choices,” Morgana said quietly.


End file.
